Tagged
by The Werewolf Mage
Summary: Oneshot. Alex has been wearing his father's tags the entire time. How did he get them? Probably K but Kplus to be safe.


Title: Tagged

Summary: Oneshot. Alex has been wearing his father's tags the entire time. How did he get them?

**Notes: So it's been ages since I've been able to get to . Sorry about that. I really am. **

**And here instead of finishing things I haven't ended yet I write something new! It's my first Silent Hill fic I've ever worked on. There are few parts of the series that make me want to write fanfics. It's all so serious and that normally isn't me.**

**However, upon completing Homecoming today a scene stuck with me and I wanted to work with it. It's the scene where Adam tries to explain everything to Alex but is killed instead. I was pretty moved by the fact that those are Adam's old tags, not Alex's tags. I knew he wasn't a soldier for real but I felt they were fake tags they had made to go along with the act.**

**Anyway, enough of my rambling. Let's give this a shot.**

In the town of Shepherd's Glen, in an upstairs bedroom of a lonely two story house, there sat a man. He was sitting on the bed he shared with his wife and was waiting for the telephone to ring. Falling back on the pillows, he felt the need to reflect while waiting the peal of the phone.

The house was empty now. And quiet. Too quiet. Staring at the ceiling, he sighed. There was no one to fake anger and discipline to. Not anymore. While he should be hearing the sounds of his two sons goofing off, and getting himself ready to yell at the older one, he wasn't. He just heard, from far off, the ticking of a grandfather clock.

Oh his wife was still in the house. So it was not exactly empty. But she, his Lillian, was not what he would call company. With the boys gone, she only had bad days, worse days, and not-very-bad-but-nowhere-near-good days. Many days it was up to him to get her up, make sure she was fed and dressed in something other than pajamas, and sometimes to even pull her hair back in as decent a bun as he could manage.

And then she would sit by the window in the rocking chair all day long.

As for the boys... Alex was the older of the two and the reason Adam Shepherd was waiting for the phone to ring. Alex was being housed in a mental facility. There had been an accident. Alex was no longer well. It had been a hard choice but the best choice for his son.

Joshua had died in that accident. Alex had taken Joshua out on Toluca Lake one night. Why, Adam never found out why. He had wanted to scream at his son as he drove him to the hospital. He wanted to shake him and demand an answer. But he had not. They had driven in silence.

The ringing of the phone, loud in the quiet house, startled him. "Hello?" Adam answered. He felt slightly nervous. What was troubling Alex so much now?

"Mr. Shepherd," the voice on the other end began, "I have a quick question about your son."

Adam knew the doctor's voice, but had dealt with so many he could not remember his name at the moment. "Ask away."

"He has had a few rough days this week. We're keeping him medicated but there is one subject he keeps rambling about. Has he ever made mention of wanting to become a soldier? He has even asked the nurses when will he be fit enough to go back to the front."

Adam opened his mouth and then shut it. Swallowing, he said, "No. Alex has never made any mention of that to me."

'Of course not.' he thought. 'You never let him get close to you. He could have wanted to follow in your footsteps but you never allowed that thought to cross your mind.'

Silently beating himself up, Adam barely caught the doctor's next request. "Is it possible for you and your wife to come see Alex? Even for a little while? Or just you if Lillian isn't up to it? I still feel you should have her hos – "

Adam cut the man off with a quick reply. "We'll be there soon." After hanging up the phone he got up and stretched. Almost unconsciously, he walked over to his wife's jewelry box. Inside the bottom drawer, wrapped in a soft velvet tissue, were his old dog tags. He slipped them over his head and tucked them into his shirt. To some it may have been too late, but then and there Adam felt a closeness to his older child.

As he left the bedroom and made his way down the stairs, he called to his wife. "Lillian?"

Sure enough he heard the squeak of the rocking chair.

"Joshua?" he wife called. "Oh. Adam."

He crossed the room and put his hands on his wife's shoulders. A few strands of hair were trying to escape the bun he had pinned them in this morning. He had never claimed to be a hairstylist.

"I told the doctor we would see Alex. Come." Gently he offered her his hand.

"Alex?" she asked. She glanced towards him, but her expression seemed to look miles behind him.

"Yes, Alex. Our son."

"No, Joshua is our son."

Adam sighed faintly. It was surely one of Lillian's worse days. Gingerly he lead her to the door. On the way out he grabbed her jacket, not sure if she would need it. Then he walked her to the car.

The ride to the hospital was quiet. Lillian stared out the window, not speaking, hands folded in her lap. Adam did not know what to say to her.

The wait in the hospital lobby was even quieter. Save for the squeak of the nurses' shoes as they moved about the halls. Finally, a smallish nurse with her red hair cut in a short bob came over to them. "You may see Alex now," she began, "but please try not to upset him. It has already been a bad day, and now we've had to restrain him."

"Why?"

She sighed. "Doctor's orders. He's not really so bad but..." she trailed off. She was talking to the young man's parents. Surely they would understand.

Adam nodded. He took Lillian's hand and together they followed the nurse to Alex's room. Adam wondered what sort of soft spot the nurses held for his son. Obviously this one disagreed with restraint.

"Alex?" she called as she entered his room. "You have visitors."

"Is it my commanding officer?" Alex sounded weak and drugged. "Can I go back now?"

The nurse smiled sadly to the Shepherds. "Not yet. We get to keep you a bit longer."

"I want to go back!" Alex slurred.

Lillian let out a soft whimper. Her hand clenched Adam's. He squeezed back reassuringly. Then he leaned over the bed to speak with his son.

"Alex," he began, "how are they treating you?" Adam realized how stupid that sounded of him. Hesitantly, he reached his other hand towards his son. It was shaking, but he managed to smooth Alex's hair back off his face.

"I prefer mess food." Alex mumbled. He shut his eyes, and then opened them. "Hey."

"What is it?"

"You're a soldier too huh?"

Adam glanced down. When he had bent over the bed to speak to Alex, his tags slipped out of his shirt. "Yeah. I am too." he mumbled. He nearly gasped as an idea formed in his head. Sunlight glittered off his tags. A. Shepherd. _A. Shepherd...!_

Adam pulled his tags off and said, "Here you go soldier. These are yours now." He slid them over Alex's neck and watched as his son sighed.

"Oh we cannot allow this."

Adam had not realized that not only was the nurse still in the room, but a doctor had joined them. He was standing at Adam's elbow.

The nurse nodded after casting an angry look at the doctor. "Many patients are not even allowed belts or shoes with laces. He could become some depressed he could try to kill himself with those tags." She then let out a tiny sigh as though she hated herself for saying it.

"He won't."

Adam turned towards Lillian. "Why do you say that?" he asked. She merely pointed. He turned his attention back to Alex, now completely knocked out due to whatever drug he was on. He had managed, however, to twist his restrained hands enough to touch the edge of the metal tags draped around his neck. Adam reached over and moved the tags into his son's hand.

Then he turned to the doctor. "He's a soldier, go along with it. I know he isn't really," he added as the doctor opened his mouth to jump in, "but let's pretend. It won't hurt him to think that's why he's here. It's better than letting him know what really happened since he has no memory of it."

Lillian had begun to silently weep. He grabbed her hand and lead her towards the door. "He's a soldier!" Adam called one last time. "Don't forget it!"


End file.
